At just 20 years old, Jossline Jackson is actively shaping what her future in Alaska’s mountains will look like. A junior at the University of Alaska Southeast, she is pursuing an environmental science degree with a snow science minor — a path that blends her passions for glaciers, snow, cultural knowledge and the land her family has called home for generations.
Jackson is Tlingit and Haida, with family from Kake and Masset. She’s also Mexican on her mother’s side, and says that honoring all parts of her heritage is central to who she is. Jackson grew up immersed in Sealaska culture camps, where she learned stories, language and teachings that shaped her understanding of her identity. These early experiences taught her how to pay attention to the land, to her community and to the traditional knowledge that her people hold.
Jackson’s favorite sport, skiing, has also served as an important thread in her connection to place. She first learned to ski through her Montessori school’s annual ski weekends, where families caravanned up to Eaglecrest and kids took lessons together. Over time, skiing transformed from a fun childhood activity into something deeper. “Mentally, it’s stabilizing for me,” she says. “Being able to ski on ancestral lands means a lot.” The sport has become part of Jackson’s identity — even in the middle of summer, she says she gets “homesick” for skiing.
As a first-generation college student whose parents don’t ski, Jackson has had to build her mountain community from scratch. Eaglecrest ski area played a huge role, and her first job was ski instructing there. But her entry into the world of backcountry skiing came later, through an internship she landed after a camp coordinator noticed how often she talked about snow.
The program, run by Sealaska Heritage and Alaska Electric Light and Power, opened doors Jackson didn’t even know existed. “I would not have gotten into backcountry skiing without the internship,” she says. In two seasons, she earned her avalanche Level 1 and 2 certifications, studied Juneau’s unique avalanche terrain (including threats to the city’s infrastructure), and gained confidence navigating mountain environments. She worked directly with Mike Janes, an avalanche educator and forecaster who provided study materials as well as hands-on instruction. This winter, Jackson will pursue her Avalanche Pro 1 certification at Hatcher Pass, something she once thought was out of reach.
Jackson says her internship provided invaluable mentorship, especially from people who share her background. “Having someone of the same culture — someone in your corner — meant a lot to me,” she says of her first-year mentor, professional Tlingit skier Ellen Bradley. “Ellen opened the door for connecting Western science with Indigenous and local knowledge.”
The internship also influenced the path Jackson has chosen for her studies. “I’ve always known that I wanted to become a glaciologist,” she says. She traces this passion for ice back to a childhood spent near the Mendenhall Glacier, which she visited so often that it felt like a second home. But thanks to her hands-on experiences with avalanche curriculum, Jackson doesn’t want to restrict herself to one discipline. “Every time I branch out, I get more and more inspired. Not limiting myself is a rule I’m trying to keep for myself.”
Looking ahead, Jackson hopes to deepen her snow science skills, share backcountry knowledge with her younger siblings, and eventually become either a glaciologist or an avalanche forecaster — or both. More than anything, she’s grateful for the doors that have opened for her in the mountains, especially in the backcountry. “Skinning up the trail is not the same as being on the chairlift,” she says. “You feel more connected to where you are.”
Emily Sullivan is a photographer and writer focused on outdoor recreation, environmental wellness, and community empowerment. She is based on Dena’ina lands, where she can usually be found skiing, packrafting, or berry picking.
